h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It is! I've just heard the Foo Fighters, Leon is going to make pikelets and it is a ry day with a lovely breeze. In the street, I hear children playing, and the atmosphere is blessedly devoid of the sound of lawnmowers.

I opened up this here computer, to the cheery voice of Hol from Red Dwarf, (as you do) and there on my home page, the BBC, was the "happy" news about Kenya. About 100 people are dead in violence blamed on the disputed Presidential election.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7165602.stm
At least, the worst that ever happens here, is an extended whine from the losing party. What can I say? Just that as Fred Dagg (played by John Clarke) used to say (I think satirically) "We don't know how lucky we are, Mate!" Yet, of course, he was right, by and large, New Zealanders don't know how lucky we are, and keep griping about dairy prices.

I open this year with the usual pious wish that there'll be less fighting and death this year. It never happens that way. On recent form, my next journal entry will be 25.12.08, and no doubt there'll have been political disasters in abundance. (Hey, the USA has a presidential election this year, right? That'll be interesting, to say the least! My $$$ is on Obama, or maybe I just hope he'll win. Well. We'll all see, unless the asteroid that's supposed to hit Mars in the first three months of this year, changes its mind and comes here.

One of the best books of 2007 and certainly one of the weirdest, was 'Echoes of an Alien Sky', by James P Hogan, in which people from Venus come to Earth to look at the ruins, all Terrans have been wiped out by a plague thousands if years previously.

Check it out! Perhaps the only fault it has, is that the Venusians are a tad too cooperative and peaceful, contrasted with the loopy Terrans. But this world finally becomes a by and large happy place. Pity we all have to vacate it first!

Vicky

Well lets just hope that 2008 is better than the last week of 2007 would make out. That's Kenya and Pakistan with bad news.....

I can't wait to hear good things on the news.

Oh absolutely! Even worse news about Kenya on the BBC homepage today.

Not a good start to the New Year!

Vicky

I just hope things get better for everyone. Know it can sound so cheesy, but is peace on earth really a vain hope?

<>

I believe it's not a vain hope, but sadly, we're nowhere near it now...

Vicky

Depressing when you think about it. Can't watch the news coz every time I see it there's been nother riot somewhere, a house fire somewhere else, six people killed in a car accident, and someone's had their home broken into. I'd love to hear some good news for once.

Well, today's BBC front page is neutral, an item about the US elections, no fresh hell there...

So, all to the good!

Vicky

Well if there's no bad news that has to be a good sign.

Elections in Georgia (not the US state) today...

Vicky

Lets hope it doesn't turn nasty.....

Here's the thing, *anything* can turn nasty at the drop of the proverbial! Today, I saw that international election monitors say it was all fair, but there are still protests!

Vicky

Of course the officals will say all's fair. They're not going to say it's completely biased but still do it. Not that I'm gonna say it's all messy - I don't know the details. But there'll usually be something for people to complain about.